By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga 

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) said over the weekend that there are no vigilante groups operating in the city.

The statement came following a shooting incident along Araneta Street last Friday, November 10, that claimed the lives of two residents allegedly involved in a string of home burglaries and robberies in the city.

BCPO spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Ronnie Brillo, said their intelligence unit is not monitoring any vigilante or gun-for-hire groups.

Brillo said Police Station 1 has already established the motive behind the murder incident, pointing at old grudges and illegal drug activities.

Major Elmer Bonilla, Station 1 commander, said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

In response to the incident and a recent spike in criminal activities, BCPO director, Colonel Noel Aliño, ordered an intensification of police efforts to solve these crimes.

Police visibility has also been intensified in the city during the evening and early morning.

The victims, identified as Nobert Aguda and Kenneth Jamandre, were gunned down by riding-in-tandem suspects while walking along Araneta Street in the city’s downtown area early Friday morning.

They were declared dead on the spot by the responding officers and paramedics.

Police recovered eight .45 caliber shells from the crime scene.

A screwdriver and pliers were found inside the victims’ bag.

A background check revealed that they were involved in a series of home burglaries across the city./DGB, WDJ